Moto Guzzi has been building motorcycles since 1921, making it the longest established European motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production. The factory in Mandello del Lario, Italy, was the birthplace of several industry firsts—including the first wind tunnel for motorcycles, and an eight-cylinder engine.
Since 2004, Moto Guzzi has been owned by Piaggio, Europe’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer. Although production is not huge compared to the Japanese and American makers, the company is now on a stable footing and has a passionate fan base—attracted by the air-cooled 90° V-twin engines. The transverse cylinder heads projecting on either side of the bike are an easily identifiable feature.
Moto Guzzi is extremely popular with custom motorcycle builders, who tend to focus on the iconic Le Mans series of bikes built from 1976 onwards, and the V7. More recently, the ‘new’ V7 and V9 models have been a sales success, and have featured prominently in Moto Guzzi’s own ‘factory custom’ sponsored builds.
The uncomfortable truth about custom motorcycles is that for every good one built, there are dozens of bad ones. All too often you’ll come across custom bikes that have been crudely cobbled together with no regard for good taste—or safety, even. This 1999 Moto Guzzi California was one such bike, until Massimo Rinchiuso rescued it.…
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As the annual EICMA trade show wraps up in Milan, we’re taking a look at some of our favorite highlights from the past week. We start with the new Royal Enfield Classic 650 and Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, then examine the bonkers 2025 KTM 1390 Super Duke GT. Husqvarna brought their new Pioneer electric dirt…
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We open this weekend’s proceedings with an elegant Moto Guzzi 1000 SP café racer from Italy’s North East Custom. Tamarit delivers a tastefully modded Triumph Scrambler, while a CBX-powered Honda RC166 replica crosses Mecum’s auction block. We conclude with a radically remodeled Kawasaki ZRX1200R, inspired by the AMA Superbike racers of the 80s.
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The 1985 Paris-Dakar Rally will always be remembered for Gaston Rahier’s victory in the motorcycle division. The Belgian rally racer barely stood taller than the BMW R80 G/S he was piloting; a bike that would go on to become an icon itself. But there was another story unfolding further down the order. 1985 is also…
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The Swiss maestros at VTR Customs deliver the first custom BMW R1300GS that we’ve seen, while Radical Speedshop builds a bespoke Moto…
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Restomods by their very nature appear simpler than fully customized motorcycles, but they’re usually harder to get right. Customization leaves you free…
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Adventure bike manufacturers are currently locked into a giant arms race that’s unlikely to slow down anytime soon. Which is why the…
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EICMA used to be the event where motorcycle manufacturers would unveil their new models. But the sheen has worn off in recent…
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Our good friend and accomplished motorcycle designer, Ola Stenegärd, has a favorite saying; “It’s very simple to keep it complicated, but very…
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The Moto Guzzi V7 platform is well-known to us here at Bike EXIF. Since its re-release in 2008, the practical modern classic…
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There’s no denying the performance advantage of liquid cooling, but if you’re of the opinion that air-cooled machines are obsolete, we say…
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Paul Führmann’s mission in life is to build custom motorcycles that “seamlessly blend artistry and engineering.” That’s not only a noble goal,…
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